The Medieval Borgo of Certaldo in FL, Tuscany, Italy

2017 has been declared l’Anno dei Borghi – the year of ancient villages – by the Italian Government Culture Minister, coinciding with the UN’s Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. We visited one of Tuscany’s many hilltop borghi, a borgo named Certaldo. Certaldo is divided into two parts: the lower and more modern Certaldo Basso, and the upper medieval Certaldo AltoParking is only available in Certaldo Basso and is limited. Jeff managed to squeeze Old Smokey into a pretty tight spot, to the entertainment of some localsCertaldo Basso is clean and modern with shops and cafésFrom Certaldo Basso, one either takes the funicular or walks up to Certaldo Alto. There are big signs saying that dogs are required to wear muzzles on the funicular – not Bosco’s style, so we enjoyed the ~5 minute walk insteadThe views from Certaldo Alto of the surrounding Tuscan hills are spectacular. The tall towers of San Gimignano are visible under the tree branchThe medieval architecture is well preserved and you can walk in and around the ancient wallsThere are also lots of smells to sniff, and like most Italian towns, running water is available to the public (though it’s frowned upon to take a full-out bath in tubs like this one)There are lovely cafés and restaurants to enjoy a break inThere were kids doing medieval reenactments in front of the church, Chiesa dei Santi Jacopo e FilippoWe visited La Casa del Boccaccio, the home of poet Giovanni Boccaccio, who wrote Vita di Dante (the Life of Dante) in the 1300’sHair inspiration in the Palazzo Pretorio, former residence of Florentine Governors, which also features a scary dungeon-like women’s prison in a lower levelExquisite art installationDewis at the top of the torre (tower) on Boccaccio’s house. It was badly damaged during WWII but has been expertly restored and has fabulous viewsLooking down at Certaldo Basso and the beautiful Tuscan landscapePalazzo Pretoria is decorated with ceramic coats of arms on the front and frescoes dating from 1300-1600 on the inside. It also houses several modern art exhibits and an inner courtyardBosco inspects the well in the inner courtyard of Palazzo PretorioBosco looks down the main road from the steps of Palazzo Pretorio, contemplating the life of a cane nobile in the medieval borgo of Certaldo